Question: Axolotl at 77 degrees?!

[Kahili]

Hi all, I have a one year old axie and I have her with me in college. I live in Hawaii and it's been EXTREMELY hot lately (way hotter than usual, and i live on the rainy side of the island!) so my poor baby is hitting temps of almost 78 degrees. I keep putting ice and frozen bottles in her tank but that only works for a little while. But the thing that I wanted to ask about is she doesn't seem to be stressed out. Since she was a baby, she's been in temps around 70 degrees and above quite a lot so I was wondering if maybe she's used to it? Her gills look fine and they aren't curled even when it's too hot in the tank. Tail isn't curled either. She doesn't seem stressed at all! What do you guys think? Let me know and give me some advice please! I know she shouldn't be in temps above 70 so I'm thinking of rehoming her if this could be life threatening. Thanks!

 

[auntiejude]

Some axies will tolerate higher temps for a while, but it essentially shortens their lifespan.

It would be worth you investing in a chiller in such a hot area.

 

[bigbrightworld]

Temperatures above 75 degrees will eventually bring disease and death to axolotl. Ideal temperatures are below 68 degrees. Please consider in investing in a chiller unit, as auntiejude said. They are expensive ($250+) but they will keep your axolotl healthy, thriving, and most importantly, alive and disease-free.
If you cannot invest in a chiller, rehoming may be the best option, as there really is no other way to cool a tank with that extreme of a temperature difference. Peltier chillers, ice bottles, and fans will only cool your aquarium by 2 degrees, maybe 3 at the most. Refrigeration chillers are the best solution (and maybe the only solution, in your case).

Good luck!

 

[Swag]

Buy a mini fridge, drill two holes in the side of the mini fridge. Put a ton of tubing or hose coiled up inside the fridge with one side going out each hole. Run both into the tank, attach a submersible pump to the input and it will shoot water through the tubing, into the fridge, and then it'll come back out to the tank. You can easily achieve sub 70 degrees doing this, the more hose inside the tank the better as it will stay in there longer, etc.

 

[bigbrightworld]

Buy a mini fridge, drill two holes in the side of the mini fridge. Put a ton of tubing or hose coiled up inside the fridge with one side going out each hole. Run both into the tank, attach a submersible pump to the input and it will shoot water through the tubing, into the fridge, and then it'll come back out to the tank. You can easily achieve sub 70 degrees doing this, the more hose inside the tank the better as it will stay in there longer, etc.

This is basically what a chiller does, in a fancier form. What a good idea! If you're short on funds, OP, I'd try this.